The Emma Report

We had another appointment with the pediatric ophthalmologist today and Emma’s eyes are looking great. In fact, the doc said he was “no longer worried” and believes that Emma will NOT need surgery. There is still evidence of Stage 1 – Stage 2 Retinopathy, but her eyes have continued to improve over the last two weeks. We’ll go back for another exam in about 6 weeks, just to be on the safe side, but it is a big, huge, relief.

We’re going back to the Special Care Nursery tomorrow for another appointment with the lactation consultant… it will be interesting to see how much weight Emma has gained. Compared to the early days, she now seems *almost* chubby to us

P.S. Big thanks to the Day Hospital team at work for the lovely personalized bib and to Grandma’s friends Judy and Tayler for the cute outfits!

It’s hard to believe, but 112 days after she was born, Emma celebrated the arrival of her original due date. That’s right, if everything had gone as planned, Emma wouldn’t have been born until today… As I’ve mentioned before, you can’t judge a micropreemie’s progress merely by looking at her chronological age. Instead, you have to adjust things by how many weeks early she was born. So, as strange as it seems, Miss Emma is simultaneously both 112 and 0 days old today.

Emma celebrated by sleeping, eating, smiling, and just hangin’ out:

We had a follow-up appointment with the lactation consultant at the hospital this week. Emma was weighed on the Special Care Nursery scale again and it seemed that she had gained only 2 ounces in 5 days, a fair bit less than the docs like to see (30 grams, approximately one ounce, per day is considered ideal). So, after some discussion, we’ve been asked to increase the fortification of her feeds. Even though she’s receiving 100 % breast milk, the docs still like to fortify it with vitamins, lipids, and nutrients. The increased fortification is meant to beef up the caloric content of the milk so she can put on more weight. Emma’s new ratio of milk to fortifier will add 4 calories per ounce to her feedings. When you’re as small as Emma, those four calories make a big difference.

We also had our first visit from the Public Health Nurse today. According to her scale, Emma weighed 5 lbs., 4.5 ounces. That means she’s gained about 3 ounces in 2 days… Looks like the fortifier is working as it should

We went to see our pediatrician today and, let me tell you, getting all four of us out the door by 8:00 a.m. was a feat of organization requiring military planning… we were only 5 minutes late and only had a few meltdowns [Miss Michaela does NOT liked to be rushed in the morning] :~/

The doctor wanted us there early so we wouldn’t expose Emma to too many germs from other sick kiddies in the waiting room… we were whisked in within minutes and Emma was declared to be “perfect” (well, we knew that already, but it’s always nice to be validated

Emma has gained 100 grams since her discharge from the SCN and now weighs in at a “hefty” 5 lbs., 2 oz. She’s having longer periods of alertness every day. This pic was taken while she was wide awake (from 7:30 to after 10:30!) this evening

I haven’t spent a more enjoyable 3 hours in a very long time

After 104 days, Emma finally came home on Thursday. We’ve spent the past 2 days enjoying her, often with silly grins on our faces

Emma appears to be adjusting well, although she does seem to have her days and nights mixed up. She’s been most alert/awake between midnight and 4 a.m, which does NOT make for a very alert Mommy the next day. As the NICU/SCN was pretty busy 24 hours a day, I guess Emma will just need time to get used to the more ‘normal’ rhythm of home life.

We’ll certainly continue with regular Emma Report updates, though likely not daily posts. For now, please enjoy Michaela being a very helpful Big Sister….

… Emma’s coming home!

I’m almost afraid to say it out loud (don’t want to jinx it, what with the Curse of the NICU, and all), but it looks like tomorrow morning, we’ll be bringing our baby home

The eye doctor came in late this afternoon and Emma’s eye exam went well. There is still evidence of Stage 1 – Stage 2, Zone 2 ROP, but overall the condition has improved since last week and the doc said it is very unlikely to worsen. He still wants to see her again in 2 weeks, but we’ll go to his office for the appointment.

So, once we get the OK from the SCN docs at rounds tomorrow, we’ll be bringing Emma home…

Yikes… now we have a million things to do tonight to get ready

Emma is just shy of 5 pounds today. Her last spell was a week ago, so she’s ready to leave the SCN…we’re just waiting for the pediatric ophthalmologist to come in for her eye exam… hopefully that will happen tomorrow or Thursday..

waiting, waiting, waiting…..

…to come home

bassinette………… check
crib………………… check
changing table…… check
car seat ………….. check
diapers & wipes……. check
blankies & toys……. check
itty bitty clothes…. check
excited Big Sister…. check
eager Mom & Dad …… check

keep your fingers crossed…. only a few more sleeps to go

That is how long Emma has been in hospital. In honour of this monumentous occasion, a little gift was waiting for us when we arrived in the SCN today:

Another example of the NICU/SCN staff’s thoughtfulness, the card was signed with love from all of the nurses who were in the unit today.

Emma “celebrated” by having a bath and getting dressed up for the occasion:

100 days = 2400 hours = 144,000 minutes = A Very Long Time.

Thankfully, we can now see the light at the end of this long journey

I had a good visit with Emma tonight. Nothing new to report – she’s doing well!